The computer game titan never attended parties. Maybe he was trying to change his image and needed Andy's direction - at least she would have to convince him of that. She had to get into this party! She remembered his photo from the cover of Forbes magazine. He had lovely blue eyes behind very thick frameless glasses and wavy, slightly frizzy hair - she could possibly convince him that it might look better spiky. Hair gel would do it.

"I'm going to be the only single guy there," Dr. D. said. "I'd love to bring someone who would blow my colleagues' minds - someone who would turn heads, and maybe raise a few eyebrows at the AMA dinner. You know what I'm saying?"

Silence on the phone. Oh, no, Andy cringed. This cannot be happening. Was he talking about taking her to the AMA dinner? Or something else ... ?

"Carl told me you can arrange companions," he said in a low voice that sounded illicit and scary.

At this moment, Andy wanted to kill her boss. This is all Carl's fault, she thought, and one of these days she was going to get in trouble for arranging "escorts" for the top clients.

Though the PR firm booked through a high-end, legal escort operation, Andy suspected that the clients were paying in cash for additional services. Carl had explained to her that getting a client the proper escort was like hiring the right model for a designer. It was important to the client's image and was not "pimping," as Andy always argued. It was part of the package that the firm provided, along with voice training and eyewear.

Andy had her go-to girl, whom she had never met but who she knew was smart and discreet and could be hired at the last minute. Andy, though, had vowed to get out of the pimping business.

"Hey, tell you what?" Dr. D. said. "I'll get you an invite to the Manchester bash if you get me a girl. A little exchange." He giggled. "Crisscross, like 'Strangers on a Train.' "

Andy hesitated, biting her lip and looking down at the happy people on the street below. She was going to be stuck in this office forever if she didn't get ahead. Or worse, she'd be fired. She needed one good client to turn things around, and opportunities to have an audience with elusive targets like Roger Martin came along about as often as Halley's comet.

"OK," she said finally, almost a whisper. "I'll get you Steffi."

Friday: Roger plots his next move with Forever Steffi.

Episode 1 (from Sunday): Silicon Valley titan Roger struggles to adjust to his new S.F. digs - and the customs of young Mission dwellers. But he takes solace in his new online friend, Forever Steffi.

Episode 2 (from Monday): Computer whiz Beth deals with being the only female at hacker hostel A T 101. She and roommate Peyton are concerned by a strange SUV that hangs out nearby.

Episode 3 (from Tuesday): Beth chastises her hacker hostel comrades for playing computer games, but secretly does so herself, under the name Forever Steffi.

Episode 4 (from Wednesday): PR pro Andy targets Roger Martin as a game-changing client, and the stakes rise when she learns that he will be attending a socialite's party in Pacific Heights.

This week, Click City will run in Datebook from Monday through Saturday. Then, starting Wednesday, the serial will run Wednesdays and Saturdays in Datebook.